Meds can turn a winter cold into a cardiac emergency
Is there anything worse than the misery of yet another mid-winter respiratory infection?
It certainly doesn't feel like it... not when you're coughing up a lung... battling a fever... and trying to cope with what feels like pain in every muscle.
But there IS something far worse -- and if you pop some painkillers to fight that fever or ease those aching muscles, you can get a firsthand lesson in what it is.
New research exposes another risk of common NSAID drugs, finding that taking them while battling the flu, a cold, or any other type of respiratory infection can increase your risk of a heart attack.
Pop them at home, and your risk of a heart attack more than triples.
And if you're so sick that you're hospitalized... and those drugs are given to you intravenously... your heart risk jumps by SEVEN TIMES.
Think you're in the clear if you're not sick?
Think again -- because the study finds that even if you're not battling any kind of respiratory infection, NSAIDs can STILL increase your heart risk by 50 percent.
Of course, respiratory infections -- even without painkillers -- can also take a toll on your ticker. An infection alone can cause your risk of a heart attack to jump by 2.7 times, according to the study out of Taiwan.
But overall, the risk is highest -- by far -- in folks who take the meds while battling an infection.
The researchers behind the new study are calling on docs to warn their patients of the risk, which is just common sense.
Most of them will no doubt ignore that warning, and others will simply tell their patients to switch from one bad med to another.
Instead of NSAIDs, they might recommend a drug such as acetaminophen, which comes with more than a few risks of its own.
It's time to take a different approach.
There's a safe way to fight respiratory infections and avoid all those risks, and it starts with that old cliché: The best OFFENSE is a good DEFENSE.
Right now, while you're healthy, boost your immune system with natural infection fighters such as vitamin D and a quality probiotic supplement. In addition, I recommend 600 mg of N-acetylcysteine twice a day during winter to prevent flu, cold and other respiratory infections, including bronchitis.
If you happen to get sick, increase the dose to between 2,000 mg and 3,000 mg per day for up to a week and you'll get better quicker.
I'm not done with the risks of painkillers yet.
Keep an eye on your inbox -- because later today I'll have some news you won't believe.